Parking meter



Feb. 18, 1947. PART1N 2,416,212

PARKING METER Filed July 12; 1944 2 SheetsSheet l Feb. 18, 1947. G. H. PARTIN PARKING METER Filed July 12, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Feb. 18, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,416,212 PARKING METER George H. Partin, Memphis, Tenn. Application July 12, 1944, Serial No. 544,543

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to parklngjmeters and has for its purpose the provision of a parking meter which is automatically set to indicate and measure an interval of time upon the insertion of a coin without any manual manipulation of any levers, keys, or other devices.

An object of the invention is to provide a parking meter which is wholly automatic insofar as the operation by the user is concerned and which may be constructed to operate one or a plurality of indicators to be put into operation by the use of coins of different sizes and denominations.

Another object of the invention is to provide a. parking meter which has very few moving parts, is easily constructed and assembled, and has practically no mechanism to get out of order.

A further object of the invention is to provide a parking meter in which the coin itself serves to set the parking meter into operation.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a parking meter in which more than one coin of the same denomination may be used so that the interval of time which the meter is designed to set up and measure may be doubled by the insertion of a second coin of the same denomination.

These and other features of the invention will be seen from the following detailed specification read in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part thereof and in which- Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the interior of the parking meter of this invention;.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the interior of the parking meter;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the interior of the park- 35 ing meter; and v Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation partly in section of the interior of the parking meter.

Referring to the drawings, the parking meter comprises a motor case II which contains either 4 spring wound or electrically driven motors (not shown) which are of constant speed and which are stopp d in their operation whenever the indicator hands have reached the position which indicates exhaustion of the time interval set up on the meter.

If the meter is constructed for use with a single size of coin only one motor is required in the motor case I I, but if a plurality of coins are provided for, a similar number of motors must be provided as each indicator is separately driven and requires its own motor. Of course, a single motor with separate drivers can also be used. If spring motors are used keys I2 may be employed to wind them at various periods when so the pivot 30.

the meters are examined or opened for removal of the coins which are placed therein.

No effort is made in these drawings to show the case for the parking meter, the receptacle 5 for the coins used therein, or the other familiar l drawings is constructed for the use of two dif- "ferent sized coins, thereby comprising indicators I'and I6 separately moved by the individual rotation of ratchet wheels I! and I8 on hollow shafts 3| and 32, respectively. However as the construction for actuation by each of the different sized coinsis substantially identical, the description will be confined largely to the description of the mechanism for operation by one size of coin.

In such mechanism, the ratchet wheel I8 as other denominations of time, and the interval of time which the meter is desired to provide for upon the insertion of a single coin.

The ratchet wheel I8 is formed along its surface with an annular fulcrum ridge 20 upon which the indicator hand I6 is designed to pivot in the manner hereinafter set forth. The indicator hand I6 not only can pivot upon the fulcrum ridge 20 but is mounted so that it may be freely rotated about the shaft I3 which is stationary. The indicator I6 is also so shaped that when it is in its normal position it will bear against one of the teeth on the ratchet wheel I8 and be carried by the movement of the ratchet wheel in a counterclockwise direction.

0 Attached to the indicator I8 is the indicator et wheel I8.

Adjacent the ratchet wheel I8 is the coin chute 46 24 into which protrudes the trigger 28 upon the coin lever 26.

The coin lever 26 is pivoted at the pivot 30 and extends to the shaft I3 upon which it is mounted for free movement when swung upon As indicated in Fig. 4, the coin lever may be provided with a pointed bearing surface so that where it bears against the indicator I6 there will be little friction to interfere with the free movement of the indicator.

The lower portion or trigger 28 of coin lever 26 is formed so that passage of a coin 31 through coin chute 24 moves the trigger laterally in the chute. Such movement of the trigger swings lever 26 on pivot 30 thereby moving upper portion 33 of the lever in a direction opposite to the movement of trigger 28. By bearing against lower portion 34 of indicator IS, the lever 26 will force the indicator against annular ridge 20 of ratchet wheel IS. The indicator is thereby pivoted on the ridge so that upper portion 35 of the indicator is moved in a direction opposite to that of lower portion 34 and is thereby freed from the engaging tooth 36 of ratchet wheel I8.

As ratchet wheels i 9 and 20 are individually mounted on hollow shafts 3| and 32, each ratchet wheel is free to move witho regard to the movement of the other ratchet wheel. Where the parking meter is constructed so as to be op- 1 erated by more than two sizes of coins, additional ratchet wheels, each mounted on its individual hollow shaft, may be supported on stationary shaft i3.

Method of operation With the motor of the parkin meter wound, if spring driven, or under power if electrically driven, the motor continually urges the ratchet wheel I8 and the indicator engaging the ratchet ridge 20 the indicator i6 swings along that ridge as a fulcrum and is freed from the tooth of the ratchet wheel l8.

Thereupon the spring 22 pulls the indicator in a clockwise direction free of the ratchet wheel.

The coin striking the trigger 28 bears against it only momentarily-and by the time the indicator I 6 reaches the next ratchet tooth the coin has cleared the trigger and the indicator, also because of the bias of the spring 22, is forced inwardly into engagement with the next ratchet tooth.

The obstruction to further movement of the motor having thus been removed, the motor resumes its rotation at a constant speed and turns the ratchet wheel l8 counter-clockwise to return the indicator l6 to its exhausted position in the 1 interval of time indicated by the scale It.

If the user of the parking meter desires to dou- I ble the interval of time to be allotted him by the parking meter he need merely insert a second coin of the same denomination, which will again free the indicator from the ratchet tooth and permit it to be carried by the spring 22 to the next ratchet tooth.

In the parking meter shown in the drawings a second coin chute 23 is shown for use of smaller coins, for example, pennies, and the ratchet 1 wheel teeth are cut, as indicated in the drawings,

more closely together so that the insertion of the coin frees the indicator for movement through the shorter distance measured between the teeth on the ratchet wheel II.

For example, should the meter provide for an 1 interval of sixty minutes upon insertion of a five cent coin, by cutting the teeth on the ratchet wheel I], one-fifth of the distance of the teeth on the ratchet wheel i8 and using constant speed motors of the same speed. the insertion of a penny into the coin chute 23 will set the indicator 15 to measure an interval of twelve minutes on the scale l4.

Obviously, if other coins of different denominations are to be accommodated by the meter,-

these can be provided for by increasing the number of ratchet wheels, indicators, and coin chutes without any substantial alteration in the construction of the parking meter.

Having thus shown and described one embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is intended to claim all novelty inherent in the invention as broadly as permissible, in view of the prior art.

Iclaim:

1..A parking meter comprising a motor, an indicator, a ratchet wheel driven by the motor and having a tooth engageable with the indicator to move the same, and coin-actuated means to lift the indicator from one tooth on the ratchet wheel and to reestablish its driving relation at the next tooth on the ratchet wheel.

2. A parking meter comprising a motor, a ratchet wheel driven by the motor, an indicator engageable with a tooth of the ratchet wheel to be moved thereby, coin-actuated means to free the indicator from the ratchet wheel, and means to shift the indicator from one tooth of the ratchet wheel to the next tooth thereof while freed therefrom and to reengage the indicator with the said next tooth.

3. A parking meter comprising a motor, a ratchet wheel driven by the motor, an indicator engageable with a tooth of the ratchet wheel and driven thereby, means to shift the indicator peripherally with respect to the ratchet wheel when freed therefrom and into engagement with another tooth of the ratchet wheel, a fulcrum on the ratchet wheel upon which the indicator can be swung to free it from the ratchet wheel, and

coin-actuated means to swin the indicator free ratchet wheel when freed therefrom and into engagement with another tooth of the ratchet wheel, and a coin-actuated lever to swing the indicator on the annular ridge to free it from the ratchet wheel.

5. A parking meter comprising a motor, a ratchet wheel driven by the motor, an indicator engageable by a tooth of the ratchet wheel and driven thereby, an annular ridge on the ratchet wheel on which the indicator can be swung to free it from the ratchet wheel, means to shift the indicator peripherally with respect to the ratchet wheel when freed therefrom and into engagement with another tooth of the ratchet wheel, a coin chute, a pivoted lever with one end bearing on the indicator to swing it on the annular ridge to free it from the ratchet wheel, and a trigger on the lever and projecting into the coin chute to be moved by a coin for swinging the lever.

6. A parking meter comprising a motor, a

- 6 ratchet wheel driven by the motor, an indicator engageable with a. tooth oi the ratchet wheel UNITED STATES PATENTS to be driven thereby, and coin actuated means v Number Name Date to shift the indicator from one tooth or the 2,262,783 Toce at all. Nov 18, 1941 ratchet wheel to the next tooth thereof 5 2231 681 P GEORGE H PAR rescott et a1. Feb. 11, 1941 1,835,065 Larsson Dec. 8, 1931 REFERENCES CITED The following reterences are of record in the m file or this patent: 

